Residents target CityLink
By Marie Roberts
MELBOURNE — More than 250 residents from Moreland and Moonee Valley attended a public meeting on April 26 to express their concerns about the continued failure of CityLink/Transurban to consult them on the CityLink project.
Transurban, a private company which will operate public roads, is constructing a massive tollway in place of a public freeway in the northern suburbs of Melbourne. Public roads next to the tollway will be narrowed to force people to use CityLink.
The meeting expressed concern at CityLink's poor quality noise walls (and lack of walls in some areas), inadequate community consultation and failure to address increased traffic and pollution in some suburbs as a result of toll avoidance. One motion called on local councils to co-ordinate and develop community group actions against the tollway.
Despite promises, CityLink does not intend to return the Moonee Ponds Creek to its natural state. Construction of the recently completed Eastern Freeway included $12 million for the nearby creek, but cheaper options are being provided for the northern suburbs because of CityLink's "obligations to its shareholders".